Percussion-fuse



' 0. GUERRITORE.

' PERCUSSION FUSE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.29, I919.

Patented Nov. 2, 1920.

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PERCUSSION-FUSE.

Application filed December 29, 1919.

1 0 allcvhom it may concern Be it known that I, Onazro Gonnnrronn, a subject of the King of Italy, and resident of Rome, Italy, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Percussion-Fuses, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to percussion fuses for projectiles intended to be launched by means of ordnance and has for its object a construction of such a fuse which prevents the premature operation of the fuse both while within the gun bore and during the first portion of the flight of the projectile, said fuse being adapted to operate on the impact in such a manner as to insure the explosion of the projectile above the ground.

The annexed drawing shows by way of example a construction of the fuse according to this invention; Figure 1 is a central longitudinal section of the fuse and Fig. 2 is a transverse section on line 0cm Fig. 1.

AS shown on the drawing, the fuse comprises a hollow body 1 closed at its front end by a head 2; said body is intended to be screwed into the mouth of the projectile and is provided with a plug 2 closing the opposite end of said body.

A graze pellet 3 is mounted to move endwise within said body 1 said graze pellet having the detonator 4 at its front end and being encircled by a sleeve 5 which is held in its forward position by a spring 6 and is provided with a front projection or rib 7.

In front of the detonator 4 is mounted the firing pin 8 secured at the rear end of a spindle 9 which is adapted to slide in a central passage of head 2 and is held in the position shown on the drawing by a spring 10 located between the flange 9 of said spindle and a sleeve 11 screwed into the passage of head 2.

The front end of spindle 9 is bored and a removable rod 12 having an outwardly projecting portion is inserted into said bore the same being clamped therein by any suitable means say by providing in the portion of said rod entering the bore of spindle 9, a slot imparting to it a certain resiliency for the pur pose of, frictionally engaging the surface of the spindle bore.

i i-This" allows of changing in an easy and Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 2, 1920.

Serial No. 348,066.

pellet has been released from the locking members hereinafter described; said spring 13 bears against a flange 1d of said firing pin iroviding a groove between it and the ad acent end of spindle 9.

In the body of the fuse are pivoted on pins 16 two locking members or Wings 15-15 which are forced by springs 17 into their closed position, as shown by Fig. 2; said wings are cut away' at 18 so as to provide in the same a thin wall or portion as hereinafter described.

In the closed position of the Wings 1515, their thick portions adjacent their respective pivot pins engage the rib 7 of sleeve 5 as well as the front end of the graze pellet 3; further the thin portions of said wings engage the groove provided in the firing pin 8 between the flange 14 and the adjacent end of spindle 9, which end in its ordinary position is removed to a slight extent from the front surface of said Wings.

On the shot being fired, both sleeve 5 and spindle 9 are caused to recoil against their respective springs and therefore the end of said spindle 9 abuts against wings 15-15 forcing them against the front surface of body 1 along which they must slide in their rotation'around pivot pins 16.

Therefore said wings are locked in their closed position during a given time corresponding to the travel of the projectile within the ordnance bore and thus prevent the detonator from striking against the firing pin. 7

When inertia no longer acts on said parts, the spring 10 restores the spindle9 to its normal position so that the samereleases wings 15-15 and these latter are allowed to move outwardly under the action of centrifugal force; this allows the forwardmotion of sleeve 5 under action of spring 6 and therefore the rib 7 of said sleeve engages the cuts 18 of said locking wings so as to hold said wings in their open position.

The graze pellet is thus free and is held spaced apart from firing pin 8 only by spring 13 located between these parts.

On the impact the graze pellet moves forward and at the same time the spindle 9 and firing pin 8 move back, the locking wings having been removed from the path of said parts as above described and therefore the detonator 4 is fired.

Owing to the use of the extension rod 12 which may have any required length, it is possible to fire the detonator before the projectile reaches the ground so as to insure the projectile being exploded above the ground.

For this purpose an extension rod 12 having the proper length may be used, the same being easily replaced by a rod of different length according to circumstances.

Should for any reason the described op eration of the locking wings 15- 15 be pre vented and the same be held in their locking position the impact of the projectile will cause the spindle 9 to shear off the thin portion of said wings so as to carry the firing pin into contact with the detonator.

The construction according to this invention prevents in a safe manner the premature operation of the fuse and at the same time insures its operation on the impact.

The fuse according to this invention is particularly useful in connection with proj ectiles having a head shell made of stamped sheet metal because the rod extension 12 may be made as long as said shell thus insuring the explosion of the projectile above the ground.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent 1s:-

1. A percussion fuse comprising a body having a central bore, a detonator-carrying member, a spindle of great inertia mounted to move axially in said bore, a firing pin borne by the rear end of the spindle for cooperation with the detonator, and cen trifugal locking. means located in front of the pin-bearing end of the spindle, and adapted to be locked by said spindle when recoiling under the action of inertia on the shot being fired, to prevent the release .of said centrifugal locking means at such time.

2. A percussion fuse comprising body having a central bore, a detonator-carrying member, a spindle of great inertia mounted to move axially in said bore,.said spindle having a forwardly-projecting portion which extends outwardly of said bore, a firing. pin borne by the rear end of the spindle for cooperation with the detonator, and centrifugal locking means located in front of the pin-bearing end of the spindle, and adapted to be locked by said spindle when recoiling under the action of inertia on the shot being fired, to prevent the release of said centrifugal locking means at such time.

3. A percussion fuse comprising a body having a central bore, a detonator-carrying member, a spindle of great inertia mounted to move axially in said bore, a firing pin borne by the rear end of the spindle for cooperation with the detonator, and locking wings pivoted in said body in front of the pin-bearing end of the spindle, and adapted to be locked by said spindle when recoiling under the action of inertia on the shot being fired, to prevent the release of said locking wings at such time.

1. A percussion fuse comprising a body, a detonator carrying member and a firing pin carrying member mounted in said body and adapted to move with regard to each other, and locking parts adapted to prevent said detonator and firing pin fromcoming toward each other and to be released from their locking position during the flight of the projectile, one of said members having a forward projection adapted to come in contact with the target for shifting said member, the same member being adapted to engage said locking parts on the shot being fired for preventing their release at such time.

5. A percussion fuse comprising a body, a detonator carrying member and a firing pin carrying member mounted in said body and adapted to move with regard to each other, and locking parts adapted to prevent said. detonator and firing pin from coming toward each other and to be released from their locking position during the flight'of I from their locking position during the flight of the projectile, one of said members being adapted to engage said locking parts on the shot being fired for preventing their release at such time, the same member having a forwardly projecting portion adapted to strike the target, said member being adapted to shear said locking parts when the latter are in their locking position at the time of impact.

7. A percussion fuse comprising a bod a graze pellet mounted to move in said b0 y and carrying the detonator, a spindle mounted to move in said body and carrying the firing pin in front of said detonator, locking wings pivoted in said body and adapted to hold said spindle and graze pellet removed from each other, said spindle being adapted to move back for engaging said Wings on the shot being fired, and a spring acting to hold said spindle removed from said wings, said wings being adapted to be removed from their locking position during the flight of the projectile.

8. A percussion fuse comprising a body, a graze pellet mounted tomove in said body and carrying the detonator, a spindle mounted to move in said body, said spindle having a forwardly projecting portion and carrying the firing pin in front of said detonator, looking wings pivoted in said body and adapted to hold said spindle and graze pellet re moved from each other, said spindle being adapted to move back for engaging said wings on the shot being fired, and a spring acting to hold said spindle removed from said wings, said wings being adapted to be removed from their locking position during the flight of the projectile.

9. A percussion fuse comprising a body, a graze pellet mounted to move in said body and carrying the detonator, a spindle mounted to move in said body and carrying the firing pin in front of said detonator, a removable extension on said spindle projecting outwardly through the front end of the body, locking wings pivoted in said body and adapted to hold said spindle and graze pellet removed from each other, said spindle being adapted to movev back for engaging said wings on the shot being fired, and a spring acting to hold said spindle removed from said wings, said wings being adapted to be 7 removed from their locking position during the flight of the projectile.

10. A percussion fuse comprising a body, a graze pellet mounted to move in said body and carrying the detonator, a spindle mounted to move in said body and carrying the firing pin in front of said detonator, locking wings pivoted in said body, each wing having a thin portion engageable by said spindle to hold said spindle and graze pellet removed from each other, said spindle being adapted to move back for engaging said wings on the shot being fired, and a spring acting to hold said spindle removed from said win s, said wings being adapted to be removed from their locking position durin the flight of the projectile and the thin portion of the wings being adapted to be sheared by said spindle should said wings be in their locking position at the time of impact.

11. A percussion fuse comprising a body, a graze pellet mounted to move endwise in said body and carrying the detonator, a spindle mounted to move in said body and carrying a firing in in front of said detonator, locking wings pivoted in said body and adapted to hold said spindle and graze pellet removed from each other, saidsnindle being adapted to move back for engaging said wings on the. shot being fired, a spring acting on said spindle and graze pellet to hold them removed from each other, said wings' being adapted to be removed from their locking position during the flight of the projectile, and a spring controlled member adapted to engage said wings in their releasing position.

ORAZIO GUERRITORE.

Witnesses MARIO RALIANI, EUGENIO SAoREDo'rE. 

